Of course he's talking it up! He's the Defense Secretary. Not talking it up would mean that he's okay with the cuts; after all, silence on a matter is agreement on a matter.
And you want this issue to go away, ie: "shouldn’t be an issue in an election year"?!?
I thought conservatives supported the military and didn't want to see our troops shafted. Looks like I was wrong. Your message is to 'shut the f@#k up' and keep the untenable defense cuts.
...he wasn't talking the last year about cuts, he's only talking it up NOW because the GOP has Congress and he remained silent while the country went without a budget for three years. It was just a matter of time
WASHINGTON | Mon Feb 13, 2012 12:30pm EST (Reuters) - President Barack Obama unveiled a 2013 defense budget on Monday that proposes cuts in Pentagon spending for the first time since 1998, slashing military personnel costs and weapons purchases as it trims $487 billion in projected outlays over the next decade. "This budget plan represents a historic shift to the future, recognizing that we are at a strategic point after a decade of war," Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said in a statement. "The plan is aligned to strategic priorities we have identified to keep America safe and maintain the strongest military in the world."..he didn't seem to have a problem six weeks ago....now in front of our troops, blame Congress